Geisinger Medical Center named to 100 Top Hospitals list

April 2, 2010, DANVILLE - Geisinger Medical Center (GMC) has received the 2009 Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals^®: National Benchmarks Award. The New York-based firm released its annual study, identifying the 100 top U.S. hospitals based on overall organizational performance.

GMC was one of four Pennsylvania healthcare facilities to be named to this list, and the only one in the state in the Major Teaching Hospitals category. This announcement marks the sixth time GMC has been named to the Thomson “Top 100” list.

“This award by Thomson Reuters recognizes our clinical excellence and patient safety record, as well as our ability to deliver top-notch care at affordable costs,” said Albert Bothe, M.D., GMC Chief Medical Officer and Geisinger Health System’s Chief Quality Officer. “It is well-known that national award-winners have higher survival rates, keep more patients complication-free and achieve higher patient satisfaction levels, while maintaining financial stability. That is a significant achievement, and to be listed among the likes of Mayo Clinic, Vanderbilt and Cleveland Clinic is truly an honor.”

The Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals^®: National Benchmarks study is based on the 100 Top Hospitals National Balanced Scorecard that evaluates performance in nine areas: mortality, medical complications, patient safety, average length of stay, expenses, profitability, cash-to-debt ratio, patient satisfaction, and adherence to clinical standards of care. The study has been conducted annually since 1993.

“This year’s study magnified the value that 100 Top Hospital award winners provide to their communities.  Even during the economic downturn, the 100 Top Hospitals maintained a profit from operations while raising the bar for clinical quality and patient satisfaction,” said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals programs at Thomson Reuters. “The insistence of these hospitals’ leaders — their boards, executive teams and medical staffs — on overall excellence makes the difference.”

To conduct the 100 Top Hospitals study, Thomson Reuters researchers evaluated 3,000 short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals utilizing public information — Medicare cost reports, Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data, and core measures and patient satisfaction data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare data set.

“An honor of this kind demonstrates GMC’s commitment to excellence, and we could not have achieved this without the dedication of our physicians, residents, fellows, nurses, support staff and other employees,” said Lynn Miller, Chief Administrative Officer, GMC. “As the only major teaching hospital in the state to be listed among the country’s best, residents in surrounding communities can take comfort that this quality care is so close to home.”

Last year, GMC was named to the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals^® Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success list, which annually identifies high-performing cardiovascular hospitals nationally and sets performance targets for managing and improving cardiovascular services. That honor was the fourth time GMC was recognized by Thomson Reuters for cardiovascular care. 

About Geisinger Health System

Geisinger is a $2.1 billion integrated health services organization widely recognized for its innovative use of the electronic health record, and the development and implementation of innovative care models including advanced medical home and ProvenCare ("warranty") program. The system serves more than 2.3 million residents throughout 42 counties in central and northeastern Pennsylvania. For more information, visit www.geisinger.org.